EMT notwithstanding, the Exclusive P3 was the winner of the large test made by the Stereo Sound staff in 1980 and is, undoubtedly, the most successful high-end & high-priced turntable in Japan !
It seems every other audiophile went for the P3 and later on for its upgraded P3a version.
Those who didn't have enough cash for such a beast often went for the smaller PL-70LII while regular people, in droves, bought the PL-50L and PL-50LII.
The P3 featured Pioneer's staple Direct-Drive SHR system (Stable Hanging Rotor) but executed in a far larger mode than on the well-known PL-L1000, the contemporary PL-L1 or even the original PL-70.
A triple insulation (oil-damping + spring + rubber) perfects the already immune to vibration 45kg ensemble, while the real 5mm glass dustcover participates in said 45kg.
The motor is the model EM-03 which Pioneer probably thought of making available separately - but didn't. That was done for the later Exclusive P10 (EM-10 motor) but saying it was a success, market-wise, would be quite an overstatement.
The same happened to the PL-70 or, much earlier, the MU-3000 or MU-1800... Pioneer never got successful in the 'separates' market like Denon, Technics or Sony but its complete turntables sold very well, as well as those of the other three. Strange.
The tonearm is the EA-03 : same structure as that of the PL-50L but bigger. It also has the damping oil receptacle at its top with the 5-position dial for no damping, some damping or a lot of damping.
Two wands were available, "S" and straight, the former with a dedicated heavier counterweight. Both wands were made of ?
If the signal-to-noise ratio of the original P3 amounted to a then-tops 78dB, that of the revised P3a skyrocketed to an unbelievable 95dB !
However, there is a trick here, a magic trick uncovered by Mr X, P3 owner, and his japanese technician - read the USER text for the details !
The Exclusive P3 and P3a were produced in fairly large amounts for such a high-priced luxurious object : about 2000.
So they are not rare per se... but they are.